Camping with a Baby
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We’re not too far out from Summertime in Michigan! In our house that means grilling out, swimming in the lake, hiking, and camping! Camping has been a huge part of my husband and my lives since we started dating. The first vacation that we ever planned together we spent two weeks driving cross country and camping in national parks out West. I truly believe that trip solidified in my mind that this was the man I was going to marry. If you can spend two weeks with someone in a cramped car and sleeping on the ground and don’t want to kill each other, you can survive anything.
After a year or so of tent camping my husband decide to build from the ground up an amazing teardrop trailer for us to use. (Not so humble brag: my husband is incredibly handy and can build almost anything). Our teardrop camper was absolutely perfect for us, we could store all of our camping needs easily inside of it, which made impromptu camping trips even easier and more convenient. It’s small enough that it still qualifies as a “tent” at campsites, it’s easy to tow, it keeps us dry when it rains, warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s hot. My husband and I spent over 100 nights in three years in our tiny paradise on wheels. My all-time favorite trip being our stay at Van Buren State Park in South Haven, Michigan where my husband got down on one knee and asked me to marry him (I told you, camping has played a big role in our lives)
With that being said, when I became pregnant in 2020, we knew that this baby would be coming along for the ride. Eli being born in November ended up being perfect timing for our camping plans. I can imagine that camping with a newborn could be very difficult plus between the cluster feedings and lack of sleep… it’s just not my idea of a relaxing weekend away. I hoped that by 6 months Eli would be on a more consistent sleep schedule, would be better able to regulate his body temperature, and would be slightly more independent, which would all come in handy for camping. Last year, we made plans to take E camping for the first time for his 6-month birthday!
My husband reminds me frequently that to do a job well you have to have the right tools! So before Eli was even born, we began compiling a list of things that would make camping with a baby as smooth, and relaxing, of a process as possible. We were very lucky to receive most of our camping items off our registry and only had to purchase a few last-minute items to make the our first camping trip with a baby go even more smoothly. The three biggest bases I wanted to make sure we had covered were safe sleep, feeding, and play.
Safe Sleep
As you can see in the pictures our tiny trailer is truly tiny. My husband and I are able to sleep comfortably side by side, but after Eli was born, we decided that we would not be co-sleeping so we had to find a safe and comfortable way for Eli to join us in the camper. We were gifted the Munchkin Fold N’ Go Bassinet for our baby shower and it turned out to be absolutely perfect. Not only does this bassinet fit perfectly in our camper, but the mesh fabric that lines the sides helped keep Eli cool and made me feel comfortable that if Eli decided to roll over in his sleep, as he often does, he would be safe. My other favorite aspect of this bassinet while camping with a baby is how compact it becomes when folded. I am a notorious over-packer (just ask my husband) and I have found that with a baby it’s gotten exponentially worse. Having a safe sleep option that folds up smaller than a camping chair makes it easy to squeeze into our already overloaded truck.
Feeding
I have been incredibly fortunate that I have been able to exclusively breastfeed my son since he was born. While I know this won’t be the case for everyone when it comes to traveling, it means I don’t have to worry about packing bottles, formula, distilled water etc. when we go camping with our baby. However, we did know that eventually Eli would be transitioning to solids and we would need an easy set up for feeding him while we were camping. We were lucky enough to receive two different styles of portable feeding chairs during our baby shower, both which came in handy when camping.
When we initially registered for the Inglesina Fast Table Chair we didn’t necessarily have camping in mind. It came highly recommended by friends as a quick and easy high chair to take with you when going out to restaurants or when you are visiting family. After our first use, we realized that placing this chair on the end of the picnic table that most campsites have would be a great option. There are a lot of things I like about this chair for camping with a baby, particularly its ease of use. Its simple to set up and it secures to the table which means I don’t have to worry about my wiggly little one going anywhere while I prep his food. The one downside that we have found with this chair when camping is that it does not come with a tray to place food on, so you have to bring along a clean table cloth or silicone mat to place his food on.
The Ciao! Baby Portable Chair is a foldable, camp chair style highchair. First off, this thing is adorable! Seeing Eli sitting around the campsite in his own camp chair while we were in ours made my family's camping dreams come true. The Ciao! Baby high chair comes equipped with an easy-to-clean feeding tray attached to the chair, which makes feeding and clean up easy. The only downside that I have found with the Ciao baby chair is that the way that the tray is attached makes the top of the tray slightly higher than where it attaches so some of the more slippery foods, like avocado and banana, tend to slide down and can end up in babies lap.
The Ciao! Baby chair came in handy for entertainment as well. While I was busy prepping dinner or cleaning up the campsite, Eli was able to sit in his highchair and play with his toys. I think the most useful item that we purchased for this trip came in very handy for these times. I had the Busy Baby Mat on my Amazon watch list for months, and this trip was the perfect excuse to order it. Eli loves to play the “dropsy game” taking each toy that I give him and dropping it onto the ground and laughing hysterically. While this game can be cute I knew I didn’t want to spend the weekend picking up toys from the dirty ground and cleaning them repeatedly. This mat was so handy! He was able to play with his toys, dump them off the side of his highchair, and I didn’t have to worry about picking them up and cleaning them off all day long. We now use this mat at home and any time we go to a restaurant to keep our little guy amused without worrying about his toys hitting the ground.
Play
Even when we’re on vacation my husband and I are very active, to a fault sometimes, and tend to spend the days of our camping trips out and about exploring the local hiking trails, breweries, and attractions. Eli absolutely loves being outside in the fresh air, but we knew we needed a few things to make his time outside as comfortable as possible during our son’s first camping trip.
For hiking, we knew we needed a carrier that would keep him, and ourselves, as cool and comfortable as possible. The Ergo Omni 360 Carrier came highly recommended to us by Katie and a few other friends who also enjoy hiking. I must say, we have not been disappointed. The Ergo is incredibly comfortable for us and the cool mesh fabric helps to keep our little man and ourselves cool. Our favorite aspect of the carrier is its versatility. This carrier allows us to carry him outward-facing to check out the view, inward-facing during nap times, and as he grows up allows us to transition him to a backpack carry. While this item was one of the pricier items on our registry it has been well worth the investment.
Summertime in Michigan is absolutely beautiful - mostly mild temperatures and you’re never too far from a lake to cool off in - but that doesn’t mean we don’t get hot and humid days when we need a some extra help keeping our little man cool and comfortable. My husband ordered this portable fan for our first camping trip with a baby and it has been perfect. The fan comes with a flexible tri pod which allows us to set the fan up on the highchair, the picnic table, hang it from his car seat or attach it to the bassinet. Basically, it went wherever he needed it. The fan has three speeds to provide as much air as needed, and as an added bonus for our camping trips, this fan has a light ring which comes in handy at night.
We had a place for Eli to sleep. We had a place for him to eat. The last thing we needed to go camping with a baby was a clean and safe place to play. We registered for the Evenflo Portable Play Yard. While we did register for this item with camping in mind, it has come in handy for most of our outdoor summer adventures. I spent my fair share of time babysitting growing up and have set up lots of pack n plays/play yards along the way and I have to say, this one is the easiest one I have ever encountered to set up and pack away. I have actually been able to set this up with one hand with a baby on my hip. The shape and size of this play yard make it ideal for my little one and my group of friends. It’s very seldom that he is in there alone and there is plenty of room for two babies to roll around and play! When we registered for the Evenflo Play Yard there were only two versions available, one with a half canopy and one without. We opted to purchase the one with the canopy to help protect Eli from as much sun as possible, but we have found that unfortunately, depending on the angle of the sun, it does very little to provide shade. Most of the time we have to use a blanket or a towel around the sides of the play yard to prevent the rays from getting in. With that being said, Evenflo has since released an upgraded version, the Deluxe Play Yard, with a full canopy and fabric panels that can be used to cover the sides of the yard as needed. While the Deluxe Play Yard does have a higher price tag, I would have spent the extra money to not have to worry about keeping my son in the shade.
With the truck loaded down, we headed out for our first camping trip as a family of three, and even though Eli was cutting his first two teeth, our trip went off without a hitch. We were able to camp for two nights in Empire, Michigan, hike Pyramid Point and check out a few local breweries and wineries. This was our first camping trip with a baby and we were already planning our next one on the drive home.
I hope that this post empowers new Moms to show their little ones the world. Camping, hiking, and traveling are all still possible, and even enjoyable!, with your little one in tow as long as you have the right tools.
